Johnny Depp has closed a deal to play Spanish literary figure Don Quixote, according to reports.

The Hollywood star will take part in a modern re-imagining of the knight in Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel for Disney, according to Deadline.com.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean actor has long been interested in the character. He appeared in Terry Gilliam's documentary Lost In La Mancha about the failed first attempt to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which he was previously connected to.

"I love Terry, and I'd do anything the guy wants to do. But with Quixote... my dance card is pretty nutty for the next couple of years. So I'd hate to put him in a position - or ask to be in a position - where he'd have to wait for me. That would be wrong," said the 49-year-old in 2009.

"But also, I feel like we went there and tried something, and whatever it was - the elements and all the things that got up underneath us - were there and happened and were documented well in that film Lost In La Mancha. So I don't know if it's right for me to go back there."